Testimonial #20

The pottery studio, Kasen locates in a very nice neighborhood where you can truly feel you are now in a pottery town in Japan. The first time I have watched Kato-sensei’s demonstration, I was so impressed by how fast he is and the way he does was so effortless! And that’s when I realized that they do the wheel throwing the opposite way!

Sensei(pottery master) taught me how to throw and shared a lot of techniques while I practiced as well as his two staffs, Kaori and Kuni! They’re always willing to help you whenever you need. I also enjoyed watching them doing different kinds of work during the day such as trimming, glazing, loading the kiln or teaching the guests that come for one-day pottery challenge almost everyday!

I love how everyday passed by very peacefully with the music around the studio, the tea breaks, the culture talks or go shopping groceries with Motoko-san!(sensei’s mother). Sometimes we go out and have dinner together or having a little party in the studio after work! I also had a chance to meet a lot of new friends there in Seto which I’m really thankful for.

Luckily, during my stay, I’ve been in 3 festivals held in Seto! ; Setomono Matsuri(large pottery festival) , Maneki neko Matsuri(the welcoming cat festival) and the last one is a small crafty festival called Seto Atelier. I’ve got a chance to see many different style of Japanese pottery which is very inspiring and this whole experience really opened my eyes about ceramic’s world. I have learned so much by staying in Kasen and I really wish I had more times. Everyone treats me like a family and always encourages me about my work. I will definitely be back in the near future!